Koeman said: "I spoke to Dejan twice and he was very clear about his situation. I want to keep all the good players -- I want to keep Dejan in the team because he is an important player.

"We have to do what the best is for the club. He has a contract, he has to come back this Sunday but I don't know what will happen after this. It's football and there is a lot of movement, but first of all we like to keep all that information in the club and not in the press.

"That was not a good thing from his side -- I wasn't happy with his comments in the press. That is not good for the club, for the rest of the players or for himself, and we will speak about whether to fine him or not."

Koeman said it was his duty to convince the remaining players that Southampton was still a club moving forward.

He said: "That message is important, because it is one thing is to say we are ambitious and it is another thing to be ambitious. We need some more time in this pre-season to show that to the players.

"The rest of the players have to keep that ambition. I spoke to some of the more experienced players like Jose Fonte and Steven Davis because they have to keep that positivity in the dressing room.

"I promised them, and I promise the fans, that when we start the season we will have a very good team."